The present invention generally relates to a shoe of a type to be worn on a casted foot, wherein the shoe is configured to cushion and protect a patient and a cast worn by the patient and to improve the gait pattern of the patient.
Shoes developed to be worn over a casted foot (“cast shoes”) typically comprise a solid rigid sole formed of wood, plastic or layered material and cut in the general form of a foot. The rigid sole may be attached to an upper portion formed of a cloth, plastic, or canvas material. The upper portion is adapted to extend up both sides of the casted foot to both secure the rigid sole to the casted foot as well as provide protective coverage of the cast. The upper portion is often secured to the casted foot with a hook-and-loop closure (e.g., Velcro) or a zipper over the dorsum of the foot. The upper portion may enclose the entire foot including the toes, or leave the toes exposed. Most cast shoes marketed today have a very shallow rocker bottom sole, while others are flat. Most cast shoes also have a relatively smooth bottom surface that provides little traction.
In view of the above, there are major disadvantages with existing cast shoes. The soles of most cast shoes are too thin to offer a meaningful rocker bottom, which is necessary to improve the gait pattern of a patient wearing a cast. The soles of most cast shoes are also too rigid and solid to flex during the toe-off portion of gait or absorb any impact pressure during the heel-strike portion of gait, leading to a cast wear breakdown rate of about 40%. Furthermore, the flat smooth bottom of most current cast shoes can become slippery and unstable when wet or on slippery surfaces. Finally, hook-and-loop straps are often only loosely attached by patients or stretch out so that the shoe hangs down in the swing-through portion of the wearer's gait, causing the wearer to have a poor abduction gait pattern.
Various cast shoes have been proposed, some of which are intended to address one or more the above concerns. Examples are U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 299,787 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,178,703, 4,899,468, 5,088,481, and 5,452,527. However, none satisfactorily solve each of the above-identified problems associated with cast shoes.